Field Hockey | 10/10/2017 10:05:00 AM

THE DETAILS
Bloomsburg (6-6, 2-2 PSAC) at Mansfield (6-6, 1-3 PSAC)
Wednesday, October 11, 2017 - 4:00 p.m.
Karl Van Norman Field - Mansfield, Pa.

GAME COVERAGE
Live Stats/Live Video - https://portal.stretchinternet.com/mansfield/

RELATED LINKS
Bloomsburg - Schedule | Roster | Statistics
Mansfield - Schedule | Roster | Statistics

STORYLINE
Bloomsburg and Mansfield are both in the thick of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) standings as both teams have six games remaining on the regular season schedule. The Huskies and the Mountaineers both have identical 6-6 overall records but Bloomsburg is 2-2 in league play (fifth in the conference) while Mansfield is 1-3 (tied for ninth in the league). The Huskies are half-a-game behind Slippery Rock for fourth place while the Mountaineers are half-a-game behind Kutztown, West Chester, and IUP which are in a three-way tie for sixth in the league.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Bloomsburg leads the all-time series against Mansfield, 47-3-1. Mansfield got the better end of a 1-0 overtime decision at Steph Pettit Stadium back on September 20, which snapped a six-game winning streak by the Huskies in the series. Larissa Motts scored the game-winning goal with 4:42 remaining in the first overtime period to lift the Mountaineers to the one-goal victory. Brittany Ryan stopped 12 shots to earn the victory while freshman Dana Sheply (Maple Shade, N.J./Maple Shade) turned aside four shots in defeat. Bloomsburg outshot Mansfield, 19-8, for the contest.

LAST TIME OUT FOR BOTH TEAMS
Bloomsburg dropped a 2-1 decision to Lindenwood in a shootout on Sunday afternoon at Steph Pettit Stadium. The Lions took the lead late in the first half before senior MacKenna Mahan (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) scored with 5:22 left in regulation to force overtime. Neither team was able to score during the two extra sessions to send the game to a shootout. It took seven rounds, with Lindenwood's Caro Theunisz getting the game-winner as the Lions won the shootout, 4-3. Freshman Dana Sheply (Maple Shade, N.J./Maple Shade) had six saves while the Huskies' defense added a season-high four defensive saves on the day.

Mansfield earned a 3-0 shutout victory over Newberry on Sunday afternoon in a game played at Kutztown University. The Mountaineers got two goals in the opening six minutes from Katie Lipski and Larissa Motts but then did not score again until late in the second half when Motts added her second goal of the game. Mansfield held a slim, 17-15, edge in shots with sophomore goalkeeper Brittany Ryan turning aside eight shots to preserve the shutout.

SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG
The Huskies enter the contest with a 6-6 overall record and a 2-2 mark in the PSAC standings - good for fifth place in the conference. Bloomsburg is fourth in the league in scoring average (2.83) but is just eighth in the conference in scoring defense (1.75). Senior MacKenna Mahan (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) leads the Huskies in scoring with eight goals and four assists for 20 points and has established new career-highs in all three categories. She is tied for sixth in the PSAC in points (20) and is tied for seventh in the league in goals (8). Three other players have eclipsed double digits in points this season - junior Abby Sauder (Mount Joy, Pa./Donegal) (six goals, two assists), junior Brooke Zeiders (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) (five goals, three assists), and senior Geneka Mahan (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) (five goals, one assist). In goal, freshman Dana Sheply (Maple Shade, N.J./Maple Shade) has seen a majority of the time this season as she has started ten of the team's twelve games. She is 5-5 with a 1.58 goals against average and a .729 save percentage. She ranks fifth in the PSAC in saves per game (4.3), seventh in goals against average (1.58), and ninth in save percentage (.729). Freshman Hannah Barnard (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) has started the other two games and is 1-1 with a 1.86 goals against average and a .762 save percentage.
 
SCOUTING MANSFIELD
Mansfield has surpassed its win total from a season ago as the Mountaineers come in with a 6-6 overall record on the year after going just 2-16 a season ago. The team has played a lot of low-scoring contests this season as the team is tenth in the league in scoring with just 18 goals through 12 games. However, the defense has given up only 15 markers on the year. Larissa Motts is the focal point of the offense as she has scored half (nine) of the team's 18 goals this season. She is tied for fourth in the league in goals and leads the team with 19 points on the season. Katie Lipski is the only other Mountaineer to have scored more than one goal this season as she has three to her credit. Brittany Ryan has been superb in goal as she has played every minute and is 6-6 with a 1.23 goals against average and an .884 save percentage. She leads the PSAC in save percentage and saves per game (9.67) while also ranking fourth in goals against average. She is also tied for second in the league with five shutouts.

UP NEXT
The Huskies will return home on Saturday, October 14, to host Slippery Rock University at Steph Pettit Stadium. Start time is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.